Contents

Story

Spoiler Alert! This section describes a subject that is sensitive to plot development.

At the very beginning of Ocarina of Time, Link is summoned by the Great Deku Tree[1], where he explains that he has been cursed by Ganondorf[2] and wants Link to go inside him to destroy the monsters, thus breaking the curse.[3] After Link defeats Queen Gohma and breaks the curse, the Great Deku Tree gives him the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, the Kokiri's Emerald. He instructs Link to bring the stone to Hyrule Castle.[4] Even though Link's efforts have successfully broken the curse, the Great Deku Tree is so weakened he dies soon after Link departs the dungeon.[5] After Link becomes an adult and completes the Forest Temple, a the Deku Tree Sprout begins its life next to the dead Great Deku Tree.

Gaining Entrance

Before Link can even approach the Great Deku Tree, he must first get past the bossy Kokiri, Mido. Mido will not allow Link to pass unless the hero-to-be has obtained a sword and shield.

To obtain a sword, Link must go through the crawlspace in the back of the Forest Training Center. Here, he has to learn to keep an eye on corners as he avoids a large boulder rolling about. When he gets past the boulder Link will find the Kokiri Sword. To get a shield, Link simply needs to acquire 40 Rupees around the forest and purchase a Deku Shield from the Kokiri Shop.

With both of these items acquired and equipped, Mido will reluctantly allow Link to pass. He can then go to meet the Great Deku Tree, who explains his plight and grants Link entry to the dungeon.

Dungeon Overview

First floor of the Deku Tree.

As it is inside a tree, the dungeon is mainly made of wood. The main room is a towering "hall" with 4 floors, each with more rooms stretching outward like the tree's actual branches would. The upper floors of this hall are covered in vines and spider webs that are populated by Skullwalltulas and Skulltulas. Each floor has jutting platforms from which Link can jump. The basement floor is blocked by a spider web in the center of the room, which can only be broken when Link jumps from the highest level onto it. In the lowest floor is full of water that possibly indicates it is a part of the Great Deku Tree's rooting.

Being the first dungeon in the game, this serves as a tutorial level of sorts. All of the puzzles are very simple and few involve more than lighting a Deku Stick on fire and burning something. Additionally, it hardly has any mini-boss to speak of besides the Deku Scrub who tells Link how to enter the boss room.

The dungeon item in the Deku Tree is the Fairy Slingshot, which fires Deku Seeds and comes with a small bullet bag that holds up to thirty seeds. The slingshot allows Link to kill Skullwalltulas so he can climb past them without being knocked off. He can also use it to kill Skulltulas and Gohma Eggs that are hanging from the ceiling.

Queen Gohma

The boss of the dungeon, Queen Gohma, is located in the lowest level in a large room protected by 3 Deku Scrubs. These Scrubs need to be hit in the proper order, betrayed to Link by their Deku Scrub brother upstairs.[6] The battle with Queen Gohma is pretty simple; she will climb the pillars of the room to hang from the ceiling and lay Gohma Eggs. While she is doing so, Link can shoot her eye with the Fairy Slingshot to stun her. She can also be stunned with Deku Seeds. Attacking the eye while she is stunned will damage her; she can fall in as few as five seconds to a player who knows what they are doing.

Defeating Gohma earns Link his first Heart Container as well as the Spiritual Stone of Forest, the Kokiri's Emerald.

↑ "I have been cursed... I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. Dost thou have courage enough to undertake this task? Yes No" — Great Deku Tree, Ocarina of Time.

↑ "Link... Go now to Hyrule Castle... There, thou will surely meet the Princess of Destiny... Take this stone with you. The stone that man wanted so much, that he cast the curse on me..." — Great Deku Tree, Ocarina of Time.

↑ "Thou must never allow the desert man in black armor to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce... Thou must never suffer that man, with his evil heart, to enter the Sacred Realm of legend... That evil man who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my power... Because of that curse, my end is nigh... Though your valiant efforts to break the curse were successful, I was doomed before you started... Yes, I will pass away soon... But do not grieve for me... I have been able to tell you of these important matters... This is Hyrule's final hope..." — Great Deku Tree, Ocarina of Time.

↑ "Please forgive me, master! I'll never do it again! If you spare me, I'll teach you something cool. You will never beat my brothers up ahead unless you punish them in the proper order. The order is... 2 3 1" — Deku Scrub, Ocarina of Time.